What does the “pocket” refer to in football?

You might often hear the announcers in a football game say the word pocket. If you’re thinking: “It doesn’t look like those tight football pants have pockets," you would be correct! A pocket is this safe little space, created by the offensive linemen, where the quarterback stands to throw the football.

Okay, so what do the announcers mean when they say “scramble”?

QBs can "scramble" around and leave the safety of the pocket to try throwing at a different angle, but when they run away, there's a higher risk of being sacked. Stress level 100.

How do those bigger players run so fast?

The bigger players often play on the offensive line or defensive line. Their job is either to protect their own quarterback or to go after the opposing team’s quarterback. They might not look like it, but these players are agile AF. They don’t need to run forever, they only need to take a handful of v. quick steps and then rest before the next play.

Why is the CFL not as popular as the NFL? Is it becoming more popular?

The CFL (Canadian Football League) isn’t as popular for a couple of reasons. First, the CFL is seen as a lower tier of the sport. Generally, when players don’t make the NFL, they try to play in the CFL — we’re looking at you Johnny Manziel. Secondly, the NFL is just playing to a MUCH bigger market (think 325M people in the States vs. 40M in Canada). More people watching means more money, more ad dollars and more popularity. Money makes the world go ‘round, eh?

Why is college football not really a thing in Canada? Because I love Friday Night Lights!

Ugh, us too. College football in the US is basically a religion. Some of the most popular teams actually pull a bigger audience than the NFL!

College football does exist in Canada, but on a much, much smaller level. In fact, Canadian university teams from coast-to-coast compete for the Vanier Cup every year — the championship of Canadian university football. You might not find Tim Riggins or Matt Saracen but we’d still recommend going to support the ol’ Alma Mater.